The Barbados Workers Union (BWU) has hit back at the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) for an “insensitive” and “shockingly absurd” response to the new labour standards legislation targeting firms taking public money, deeming its weekend statement a disturbing disconnect from reality.In a sharply worded rebuke to the BPSA’s statement carried as a full-page newspaper advertisement on Sunday, the union charged the private sector body with feigning ignorance regarding the plight of Barbadian workers.“Such statements from the BPSA do not merely miss the mark,” the BWU said. “They highlight an alarming insensitivity and detachment from the lived experiences of countless Barbadians.”In Sunday’s statement, the BPSA said the majority of its members adhere to labour legislation and that any instances of poor employment practices are “isolated and limited to a minority of businesses”.“We strongly support the enforcement of existing legislation against those specific businesses that are at fault rather than subjecting entire sectors to new legislation and more bureaucracy,” the association said.
